World Cup 2014 Preview: Bosnia-Herzegovina ready for maiden voyage

Published February 05, 2015

(SportsNetwork.com) - It certainly is not a household name in the world football realm, but Bosnia-Herzegovina is ready to crash the World Cup party and do some major damage.

Most teams that make their first appearance in the World Cup are simply happy to be there, but Bosnia-Herzegovina boast a talented squad that will look to galvanize a young nation.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has only been an independent country for 21 years, and success on the biggest stage would go miles toward uniting a country that is still grappling with political and ethnic divisions following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Head coach Safet Susic was one of the greatest players to emerge from the former Yugoslavia team, as he scored 21 goals in 54 international appearances.

Normally mild-mannered, he quickly earned his players' respect after blasting forward Edin Dzeko and captain Emir Spahic for dissent following a 2-0 friendly defeat against Egypt in March.

The club sailed through European qualifying, placed in Group G with Liechtenstein, Latvia and Lithuania, they came away with an 8-1-1 mark for 25 points and first place in the group.

Leading a potent attack will be Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic. Dzeko is the biggest name on the squad and delivered in a big way during the qualifying campaign when he scored 10 goals.

Dzeko was buried on Manchester City's depth chart early in the season, but flourished late on, scoring several key goals down the stretch to help City win the Premier League. He finished the season with a solid 16 tallies in 30 league appearances.

Ibisevic also pulled his weight in qualifying with eight goals and had a good season in the German Bundesliga, scoring 10 goals in 26 league appearances for Stuttgart.

He is a perfect complement to Dzeko and the two form one of the deadliest attack partnerships in the tournament.

In midfield, Roma's Miralem Pjanic can provide a nice presence as either a central playmaker or a winger. Pjanic made his international debut at 18 years old and has continued to improve, joining Roma in 2011 after three seasons in France with Lyon. He possess good close control, field vision and an excellent right foot on set-pieces.

Central defender Spahic anchors the defense with 72 caps to his name. At 33, age may be becoming a factor, but he is still rock-solid in the middle.

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic gives the side an intimidating presence between the sticks and he is widely regarded as one of the top-five goalkeeper in the Premier League with Stoke City.

Drawn with Argentina, Iran and Nigeria in Group F, the Bosnians maiden voyage could be a hugely successful one. With Argentina pegged as the clear favorites in the group, Bosnia-Herzegovina has an excellent chance to finish second and advance to the knockout round.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/world-cup-2014-preview-bosnia-herzegovina-ready-for-maiden-voyage